Game apparatus.



' Z. D. UNDERHILL.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, 1909.

942,984. Patnted Dec. 14., 1909.

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ZOE D. UNDERHILL, OF BEDFORD STATION, NEW YORK.

GAME APPARATUS.

aaaesa Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. fa, 1909.

Application led. March 9, 1909. Serial No. 482,250.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Zon D. UNDERHILL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bedford Station, county of Westchester, and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Game Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification.

The object of my invention is to produce a game apparatus, comprising anovel combination of board and movable counters by means of which a newgame that combines the elements of chance and skill may be played by oldand young with amusement and profit.

The invention consists of a board containing playing spaces preferablyof a peculiar arrangement combined with two sets of counters havingdistinguishing characteristics and bearing a certain relation to thenumber of playing spaces on the board, as hereinafter described.

In the drawings: Figure l is a plan view of a board and counterscomprising one embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on theline 2-2 Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a modified form ofboard.

A is the board which, in the form shown in the drawings, contains anumber of circular holes or depressions a. The preponderatingpro-portion of these depressions are arranged in parallel rows in whichthe number of depressions in each row equals the number of rows, and inwhich corresponding depressions of the several rows form rows extendingperpendicularly to the first named rows. This arrangement is analogousto that of an ordinary checkerboard, and it will be understood thatthere are incidentally formed other rows extending obliquely, or at anangle of 15 degrees, to the first named rows. In the preferredarrangement, as shown, there are eleven rows of depressions and elevendepressions in each row, and the said arrangement forms a perfect squareof 121 depressions. The remaining depressions are arranged at each sideof the square in the shape of right-angled triangles B, with theirlonger sides adjoining the sides of the square, the said depressionsbeing arranged to form continuations or prolongations of the rowscomprised in the described square. In the preferred arrangement, asshown, the

depressions forming each triangle are nine in number and are arrangedmidway of each side of the square. The depressions of each triangle arealso in alinement with the obliquely extending rows of depressions inthe square, from which it follows that there is also formed a second andlarger square, extending obliquely to the first square, and overlappingthe latter on its four sides, the first described and smaller squarealso overlapping the second and larger square on the four sides of thelatter, and forming at each of the said overlapping points a triangulararrangement C of three depressions. rlhe specific arrangement of aperfect square of 121 depressions and 3G additional depressions dividedinto four groups associated as described is found by experiment to givethe best results, although my invention is not limited thereto exceptwhere specifically claimed.

In association with the described board, I provide two sets of countersl and e having distinguishing characteristics, preferably differentcolored marbles. These are of preferably a definite number in theaggregate, namely, a number sufiicient to occupy all of the depressionsexcept the depression a at the apex or corner of each triangle and thecentral depression a2. That is, there are provided, in the preferredembodiment of my invention, 14S marbles, divided into two sets of 74marbles each.

The invention as described is preferably operated as follows: 1n playingthe game, the marbles or counters are mixed together and disposedirregularly on t-he board as they happen to come to hand, leaving vacantthe central hole a2 and the eight corner holes a. Each player controlsone set of marbles. A player can move by jumping one of his own marblesover an adjacent marble to an adjoining vacant hole next beyond, in anyone of the eight directions corresponding to the perpendicularhorizontal and oblique extensions of the rows as described. rThe playermust continue to jump with the marble selected as long as it ispossible, and the initial and continued jumping are both obligatory,whether it involves jumping his own marbles or his opponents or both,although he is always at liberty to select between alternativepossibilities. The marbles jumped are removed from the board.. Theplayers move alternately. The game ends as soon as either of the playersfind it impossible to move by jumping as described, and the playerhaving the most marbles left on the board is the winner of the game.

The game, when played as described, presents many problems analogous tothe game of checkers, although it is a game of far greater variety owingprimarily to the fact that the relative arrangement of the two sets ofcounters at the outset of any two games is never the same. This lastfeature also contributes an agreeable element of chance.

It will be understood that my invention does not reside in the gameitself, but in the combination between a peculiarly constructed boardhaving a definite number of spaces combined with a definite number ofcounters, whereby the game described, or any modification of it that maybe devised, may be played. It will also be understood that if the holesor depressions are made of proper size, pegs may be substituted formarbles. The game apparatus may also be made in a cheaper form by makingthe upper face of the board flat and, by means of printed lines,dividing the face into squares, as shown in Fig. 3 in which Grrepresents the board and g the squares which are arranged in identicallythe same manner as the holes in the board of Fig. l. Preferably, thesesquares are all of uniform character, and not divided into alternatingblaclr and white squares, as is a checker' board, in view of the factthat each square is a playing square. Either the board of Fig. l or thatolf' Fig. 3 may, however, have its middle playing' hole or space and thehole or space .at the apex of each square, dilierently colored or shapedor marked, as indicated at g and g2 in Fig. 3, to indicate which squaresare to be initially left vacant.

I-Iaving now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

l. In a game apparatus, a board containing a plurality of spacesarranged to form a star-shaped ligure, with one of the spaces at each ofthe apeXes, in combination with a plurality of sets of counters havingdistinguishing characteristics, the number in each set equal to thenumber in each of the other sets, and all the counters equaling thenumber of said spaces less the sinn of the spaces at the apeXes of thestar-shaped figure increased by one.

2. vIn a game apparatus, a board containing a plurality of spaces thepreponderating number of which are arranged to form a square shapedfigure comprising parallel rows, the number of rows equaling the numberof spaces in a row, while the remainder are arranged at the sides of thesquare to form triangular shaped figures, one side of each of saidtriangular shaped figures adjoining the respective sides of the squareshaped figure and whose spaces are arranged to form continuations of therows comprised in the square-shaped figure, thereby forming aneight-pointed star shaped figure, in comi bination with a plurality ofsets of counters having distinguishing characteristics, the

vnumber in each set equal to the number in each of the other sets, andallthe counters equaling the number of spaces less nine.

3. In a game apparatus, a board containing a plurality of holes arrangedin rows to form a star-shaped ligure with one of the holes at each ofthe corners, in combination with a plurality of sets of sphericallylshaped counters having distinguishing characteristics, the number ineach set equal to the number in each of the other sets and all thecounters equaling the number olf said holes less the sum of the holes atthe apeXes of the star-shaped ligure increased by one.

4.111 a game apparatus, a board containing a plurality of spacessymmetrically arranged to form a star-shaped ligure, in combination witha plurality of counters comprising sets each equal in number to theother and having distinguishing characteristics, all the counters beingfewer in number, by a plurality ot' spaces, than the total number ofspaces, and the counters in each set being greater in number than thenumber of spaces less the total number of counters and adapted to beinitially distributed at random on all except predetermined initiallyunoccupied non-contiguous spaces.

5. In a game apparatus, a board containing onel hundred and twenty-onespaces arranged in rows to form a square shaped ligure, and nineadditional spaces on each side oli' said square arranged to formtriangular shaped ligures, one side of each of said triangular shapedligures adjoining the respective sides of the square shaped ligure, incombination with a plurality of sets of counters having distinguishinglcharacteristics, the number in each set equal to the number in eachofthe other sets, and all the counters equaling the number of saidspaces less the sum of the spaces at the apeXes of the starshaped ligureincreased by one.

6. In a game apparatus, a board containing a plurality of spaces one ormore of which have certain distinguishing characteristics, incombination with a plurality of sets of movable counters havingdistinguishing characteristics, the number in each set equaling thenumber in each olil the other sets, and all the counters equaling thenumber of said spaces lessthe sum of the spaces having saiddistinguishing characteristics. Y

7. In a game apparatus, a board containing a plurality of holes arrangedto form a star-shaped ligure of which the spaces at the apeXes of thestar-shaped ligure and the central space have distinguishingcharacteristios, in combination With a plurality of sets ofspherically-shapecl counters having clistinguishing characteristics, thenumber in each set equal to the number in each of the other sets, andall the counters equaling the number of said holes less the sum of theholes having distinguishing characteristics.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand,atPhiladelphia, on this 2nd day of March, 1909.

ZOE D. UNDERHILL.

Vitnesses M. M. HAMILTON, E. E. WALL.

